Chip placement in a grid patterned sheet

ABSTRACT

THE SHEET MATERIAL IS PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF POCKETS IN A GRID-LIKE PATTERN. A PLURALITY OF CHIPS SIZED TO FIT IN THE POCKETS ARE POSITIONED UPON THE SHEET MATERIAL. THE CHIPS ARE PLACED IN A PREARRANGED PATTERN BEFORE BEING PLACED UPON THE SHEET MATERIAL SO THAT WHEN THE CHIPS ARE POSITIONED UPON THE SHEET MATERIAL THEY ARE PLACED DIRECTLY IN THE POCKETS OF THE SHEET MATERIAL. A GRID PATTERN TEMPLATE IS USED TO SECURE THE CHIPS IN THE PARTICULAR PATTERN DESIRED, AND THIS PATTERN IS THE SAME AS THAT OF THE POCKETS TO TRANSFER THE ARRANGED CHIPS FROM THE TEMPLATE TO THE SHEET. THE CHIPS ARE NOW CONSOLIDATED TO THE SHEET MATERIAL BY APPROPRIATE HEAT AND PRESSURE.

BEST AVAILABLE May 30, 1972 COPY 3,666,58

4 sheets-$11M; i

H L KAUFFMAN ETAL CHIP PLACEMENT IN A GRID PATTERNED SHEET Filed April 28, 1970 fl INVENTORS RICHARD M.'H|SEY HAROLD L. KAUFFMAN ATTORNEY May 30, 1972 H. 1... KAUFFMAN ETAL 3,666,582

CHIP PLACEMENT IN A GRID PATTERNED SHEET Filed April 28 1970 45heecs-Sheet' 2 1 v l //////////////////////////////A INVENTORY:

RICHARD M. HISEY HAROLD L- KAUFFMAN ATTORNEY May 30, 1972 H. L. KAUF'FMAN ETA!- 3,656,582

CHIP PLACEMENT IN A GRID PATTERNED SHEET 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 28, 1970 INVENTOR5 UN mm Cu MW 0M R AL H mm R O R A H ATTORNEY May 30, 1972 H. L. KAUFFMAN ET AL CHIP PLACEMENT IN A GRID PATTERNED SHEET Filed April 28, 1970 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FORMING POCKETED SHEET MATERIAL POSITIONING THE CHIPS INATEMPLATE PASSING CHIPS FROM TEMPLATE TO SHEET MATERIAL CONSOLIDATING CHIPS AND SHEET MATERIAL ATTORNEY 3,666,582 CHIP'PLACEMENT IN A GRID PA'ITERNED SHEET Hamlet. Kaufiman, Lititz, and Richard M. Hisey, Lancaster, Pa., assignors to. Armstrong Cork Company,

. Lancaster, Pa.

Filed Apr. 28, 1970, Ser. No. 32,561

' Int. Cl. B44c 1/28 US. Cl. 156-63 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The sheet'material is provided with a plurality of pockets in a grid-like pattern. A plurality of chips sized to fit in the pocketsare positioned upon the sheet material. The chips are placed in a' prearranged pattern before being placed upon the sheet material so that when the chips are positioned upon the sheet materialthey are placed directly in the pockets of the sheet material. A grid pattern template is used to secure the chips in the particular pattern desired, and this pattern is thesame as that of thepockets of the sheet material. A vacuum transfer is then used to transfer the arranged chips from the template to the sheet. The chips are now consolidated to the sheet material by appropriate heat and pressure.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention f i The invention is directed to a method of making a flooringfrnaterial and, more particularly, to a technique for placing decorative. chips in a pocketed grid pattern of a sheet material used as flooring.

Description of the prior art U.S. Pat., No. 3,056,224 discloses one technique for arrangingchips on the surface of a sheet material. The chips are dumpedonthe sheet material, and a vibrator is used to. distribute the chips across the surface of the sheet material- Theldumping of the chips onto the sheet material is controlled so that one does not get doubles, that is, a chip placed upon a chip. The chips are oriented in a random manner on .the sheet material. US. Pat. No. 3,150,022 discloses another technique for placing chips upon the sheetmaterial, and likewise, here the chips are placed upon the sheet material ina random manner.

. US. Pat. No. 3,359,354 discloses a method of making ceramic tile structures from a plurality of indvidual pieces. The individual pieces are placed in a grid-like pattern to secure the desired arrangement 'of the pieces. Appropriate binder s'tructureyis then used to hold'the tiles in their prearranged'locations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,113,900 discloses 3,666,582 Patented May-30, 1972 ture, this second group of patents in no way suggests the modification of the first two patented structures to provide for a flooring structure which is capable of having the prearranged placement of chips. That is, the inventive technique herein provides for the selective placement of colored chips in a definite pattern arrangement to provide a coordination of the color of the chips with a geometric distribution of the chips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The subject invention relates to a floor covering consisting of small opaque and transparent square chips arranged in a grid pattern having correspondingly squareshaped apertures or pockets in which the chips are placed. When the chips are in proper position, the assembly is consolidated to form the floor covering.

The chips are secured and positioned in the grid pattern of the sheet material in the following manner. A template is utilized with a grid pattern which is identical to that of the grid pattern of the sheet material. The template is mounted so that it may oscillate around both its X and Y axis. The chips are dumped upon the template, and the oscillation around the X and Y axis shifts the chips around so that they completely fill the pockets of the grid pattern. The template has a vacuum base so that the chips may be held in the pockets of the grid pattern. Excess chips are then dumped or brushed offthe top of the template. The template then may be swung through an arc of degrees and be so positioned over the grid pattern of the sheet material that when the vacuum is released from the template the chips will fall directly into the pockets of the grid pattern of the sheet. Alternatively, a transfer plate could pick the chips up from the template and move over top of the sheet material and deposit the chips into the pockets of the sheet material while the template could be utilized to arrange another batch of chips. Once the chips are in the pockets of the sheet material, pressure and temperature applying means will consolidate the chips to the sheet material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS the chips to proc- DESCRIPTION OF. THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The product herein is manufactured by use of the materials disclosed in US. Pat-No. 3,056,224. Also, the materials are the same as that mentioned in the above referred to-related application. The techniqueand process limitations set forth in the above referred to related application are also applicable for the consolidating of the chips to the sheet material and the forming of the sheet-material discussed in this invention. The primary difierence between the above-described application and this invention is in the manner in which the chips are placed in'the grid pattern arrangement of the sheet material.

Referring to FIG. ,I, it will be seenthat a template 2 is .utilized for the orientationof thecliipsi The. template has a grid pattern arrangement 4 on its upper'horiz'ontal surface. The grid pattern has a plurality of pockets which are positioned and oriented in the same manner as the pockets on the sheet material on which the chips are to be ultimately placed. The template is placed on a ball bearing support 6. As shown in FIG. I, the template has X, Y and Z axes. Appropriate operating structure is connected to the template so that the template will move in an oscillating manner upward and downward around the axis X. At the same time, other appropriate operating structure will cause the template to oscillate backward and forward around the axis Y. With the ball bearing 6 as the pivot point, the template 2. thus has a combined movement in an upward and downward manner around axis X and in an oscillating manner around axis Y. This combined action secures the placement of chips in the pockets of the grid pattern 4 of the template. A plurality of chips, in excess of the number of pockets available, is dumped upon the template surface. The combined movement of the template secures the filling of the pockets of the grid pattern with chips.

Referring now to FIG. I I, there will be seen an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the template. The template 2 has the grid pattern 4 on its upper surface. The grid pattern 4 is formed by the existence of a plurality of divider ribs 8 which separate the upper surface of the template into a plurality of pockets 10. The pockets are slightly wider than the width of the chips, are of the same configuration as the chip and the ribs 8 are slightly less in height than the height of the chips. Through the use of the above-described compound oscillation of the template, the chips fall within the pockets, and all the pockets are filled in the template. Each pocket is provided with an opening 12 which connects with a vacuum chamber 14 on the interior of the template. Appropriate operating structure generates a vacuum within the chamber E14, and this vacuum may be selectively created and removed. When the vacuum is created in chamber 14, the chips 16 will be held within the pockets 10.

Referring now to III and IV, there will be seen two alternative methods of removing excess chips from the upper sunface of the template. Chips in excess of the number needed to fill the pockets of the template were placed upon the horizontal surface of the template. These excess chips must be removed. Referring to FIG III, a brush structure 18 moves across the upper surface of the template 2 and brushes the excess chips 20 oif the surface of the template. Chips 16 within the poclgets .10 are retained in their pockets either due to the vacuum existing Within the template or the fact that the ribs 8 forming the pockets retain the chips within the pockets.

Referring to FIG. IV, there is shown an alternative manner of removing the excess chips from the template. The template is merely inclined at an angle relative to the horizontal, and the excess chips will slide olf the upper surface of the template since there will be nothing restraining them in position. The vacuum within the template and the ribs 8 of the grid pattern will restrain the other chips 16 within the pockets of the grid pattern of the template.

The template now has the chips positioned in a pattern arrangement which corresponds to the pocket arrangement of a sheet material. The sheet material was formed in the manner mentioned in the above'referred to related application. A dry blend material was placed on the top of thebacking"sheet and was leveled to the required height. Thebacking material with dry blend passes through a heated area which melted the dry blend. An embossing structure then provided a plurality of pockets in the dry blend resting upon the backing layer. The pocketed sheet material is then fed by the above-described template structure. As shown in FIG. V, the sheet material 22 passes" by the template structure 2 which has the plurality of chips .16 in their prearranged pattern. The tem- 1 A support structure 24 carries a vacuum transfer plate 26 above the sheet material 22; This vacuum'transfer plate could be removable to a position overlying the template or, and preferably, the template would be movable under the vacuum transfer plate. The template would move under the vacuum transfer plate withthe chips positioned on the upper surface of the patterned template. The vacuum transfer plate 26 would then move down to a position overlying the upper surface of the template. The vacuum would be removed from the template 2 and a vacuum created within the vacuum transfer plate. This plate would be similar in construction to the template in that it would have a plurality of small holes communicating the vacuum transfer. plate interior with the fiat exterior surface of the transfer plate. This plurality of holes would be arranged in such a manner that the holes would be related to the individual chips. Consequently, with'the bottom surface of the vacuum transfer plate in contact with the chips and a vacuum being. created within-the transfer plate, the chips would tend to be held to the under surface of the vacuum transfer plate when the vacuum is removed from thetemplate and thetemplate is lowered and slid away from underneath the vacuum trans% fer plate. The sheet material 22 would be moving in an intermittent manner. When the sheet material had stopped under the vacuum transfer plate, the vacuum transfer plate would be lowered. to the sheet material. Theposi: tion of the vacuum transfer plate relative to the sheet material would be coordinated so that the vacuum transfer plate would lower the chips directly into the pockets of the sheet material. Removal of the vacuum from the vacuum transfer plate will then let the chipsstaywithin the pockets of the sheet'material when thevacuum transfer plate is raised to its original position. Consequently,- the above apparatus will provide for the transfer of the chips from the grid pattern surface of the template. to the pockets of the sheet material.

Referring now to FIG. VI, there is shown an alternative structure for transferring the chips from the template to the pocket structure of the sheet material. The sheet material 22 may either pass aside or underneath the template 2. Normally, the template would be to the. side of the longitudinal direction of travel of the we'b material, but for simplicitys sake, inFIG. VI, the template is shown overlying the web material. The uppersurface 4 of. the template is provided with its pocket structure and chips 16. Appropriate support structure 28 so mounts the template that the template may be swung through an arcyof degrees into a position directly overlying theweb material. The vacuum of the template will hold the chips in the pocket '10 while the upper face of the template swings through an arc of 180 degrees and'moves to a position where the face of the template carrying the chips is now directly overlying the pocket structure of the web 22. Removal of the vacuum from the'template will release the chips to the web material. Proper'coordination of the position of the web relative to the template will have the chips fall from the pocket structure-of the template directly onto the pocket structure of the sheet material. 1 Finally, referring to FIGQVII, there is schematically shown the process steps for formingthe sheefr'naterial of the invention herein. a 1 1 l1 The sheet material would then be further'processe'd'in the manner'described in the above-mentioned'related application. Through the application of appropriateheatand pressure, as indicated in -the above-mentioned application; the chips are consolidated to the sheet material and either an embossed-like structure or a smooth surface structure may be formed. v

What is claimedist" 1. The method of manufacturing "a ilooringmaterial comprising the steps of: forminga sheet material with a plurality of pockets embossed therein in'a' predetermined pattern configuration, depositing a' plurality of chips on the surface of a template structure separate from the sheet material, oscillating the template structure in such a manner as to position the chips within pockets on the template structure, removing excess chips from the template structure, transferring the chips from the template structure where the chips are arranged in a pattern identical with that of the pocket structure of the sheet material to the pocket structure of the sheet material, and then consolidating the chips and sheet material to permanently affix the chips to the sheet material with the chips in the prearranged pattern determined by the pockets in the sheet and in the template.

2. The method of manufacturing a flooring as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of transferring the chips from the template to the sheet material is carried out by swinging the template to a position overlying the sheet material and with the pocket structure of the template coordinated with the pocket structure of the sheet material so that when the template structure releases the chip they will fall directly into the pocket structure of the sheet material.

3. The method of manufacturing a flooring material as set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of passing the chips from the template to the sheet material is performed by removing the chips from the pocket structure of the tem- UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,113,900 12/1963 Abernethy 156-63 X 3,177,568 4/1965 Schweiker 156-561 X 2,465,871 3/1949 Hardie et a1 264-277 X 2,855,653 10/1958 Kastenbein 264-90 3,359,354 12/1967 Johnson 264-69 X 3,322,591 5/1967 Cleverly 156-297 B-ENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner H. J. TUDOR, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

